


Five Clicks Out

by Zelda2h2



Series: Five Clicks Out [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, Cutting, Darcy saves herself, Drinking, F/M, Injury, Kidnapping, No established relationship, Rescue Missions, Swearing, only uses first name when in danger, with some help from Bucky, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-07-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 20:06:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4362416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelda2h2/pseuds/Zelda2h2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Had she said 'I need help.' He would have told Steve. Had she said 'Barnes I need help.' He would have rolled his eyes and asked her what mundane task she was incapable of doing this time. But she didn't say those things. She called him Bucky. </p><p>She never called him Bucky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Clicks Out

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like I crash landed on the Wintershock train. Let's see where this takes me. The first of a few fics I'll be posting, so wish me luck and enjoy the ride.

It was their banter that eventually brought them together, Steve figured. But that first night sure helped things along. When Bucky first came with him to the facility a few months after Ultron, he was clearly still hurting, in ways his friend couldn't imagine. Steve would often find him with his bedroom door open, standing in the corner of the room, staring at any possible opening a dangerous threat would have to enter. Eventually, Steve stopped trying to coax him to go to bed. 

Doctor Foster had moved her research to the base, partially because Tony waved a bunch of shiny new equipment in front of her face, and partially because Thor asked her to before leaving for Asgard once again. With their forces still stretched out, she would be the safest there with at least a few Avengers present full time. 

Maybe it was a bad idea, having Bucky's room so close to a common area. Steve didn't hear it at first, but soon the uneasy sounding "Woah, easy there buddy..." Caught his ear. 

Creeping down the hall in his pyjamas, Steve listened painfully at the one sided conversation that was being held by Doctor Foster's assistant, Darcy. He peered around the corner and saw her standing with her hands held up near her head, and Bucky pointing a gun at her.

"Wait, you're- oh, I see. Okay. No worries. Do you know where you are right now? Imagine I said that in a totally non-menacing way by the way." 

Bucky squinted at her, but nodded ever so slightly. 

"Okay, cool. That's good. So it's an issue of you not knowing who I am?" Again, he nodded. "My name's Darcy Lewis, I'm Jane Foster's assistant. She does astrophysics, I try to pay off student loans. Now, my arms are cramping up, so I'm gonna put my hands down now, is that okay with you?"

Bucky just stared for a long time, but to her credit, Darcy didn't move. 

"I don't move unless you're okay with it."

A flash of clarity in Bucky's eyes had him looking down at his weapon and sinking to the ground, letting it clatter to the floor. Steve almost emerged from his hiding place when Bucky's shoulders started to shake, but Darcy slowly got on her knees beside him, explaining everything that she was doing before she did it. 

"I'm gonna just sit right here, okay? Can I please move this? Just to the side so I can cross my legs." She moved the gun with her foot away from them, but still within his reach. "I'm going to get a tissue out of my pocket and hand it to you, can you open your fist?"

Bucky didn't move, he just sat there sobbing. "Okay, sh, c'mon Barnes, c'mere." Darcy held her arm out and allowed him to sink his head on her shoulder. "It's okay. You're safe and sound here."

They sat there for ages; all the while Darcy just rubbed Bucky's back, speaking a few words to fill the silence softly. 

Once he had stopped shaking, Bucky stiffened up, and sitting up properly, asked with a hoarse voice; "How do you know my name."

"Welp, normally I would answer that they're all about debriefing up in here." Darcy said. "I also learned about you in my grade ten history class. Wrote an essay- solid B-plus or A-minus material."

"And what was this essay about?" He deadpanned. 

"The textbook's romanticization of your multiple relationships and how I took offence to that because that was hardly the coolest commando's thing we could have been learning about- and just because a person happens to fill a certain archetype that shouldn't be what's focused on in learning their history." She paused. "You know what fuck that teacher, I deserved at least a full A on that paper."

Steve didn't recognize the sound when Bucky laughed- it was cold and a bit forced, but still more than he had gotten out of his friend in months. 

"Hey cool, he smiles. What other basic human emotions can you feel, sir?" Darcy giggled. "Now. Before you pointed a gun in my face I was gonna make some hot chocolate. Would you like some?"

"I- I don't..." Bucky frowned for a moment before looking determined. "Yeah. Why the fuck not?"

Darcy grinned. "Barnes, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

She stood up and held out her hand to him, which Bucky took carefully with his right. "Whatever you say, Lewis."

\---

That was hardly the last of their Lewis and Barnes escapades. Darcy began stopping by to see how Bucky was doing, sending over baked goods that she claimed promoted mental health. 

In turn, Bucky would wander around until he happened upon her. Sometimes she was asleep at a desk with her headphones in and Bucky would put the Star-Spangled Banner on her YouTube app, cranking up the volume and fleeing just far enough so he could see her reaction before making his escape, shouting "Your move, Lewis!"

Her retaliation was a large batch of brownies in a container marked 'For Barnes ONLY', which he threw away muttering along the lines of "How stupid do I look?" 

When she came by later, Darcy handed Steve a container of brownies similar to the ones she had given Bucky. "Here you go, Steve-o. Sorry about the wait, I had to go to the store to get some walnut pieces."

Bucky gave her a smug grin, walking into the common room like the cat who caught the canary. "Say, what was in those brownies, Lewis?" 

"Same as what's in these, only no nuts. I know you said you didn't like them so I made you your own batch. Why? Finished them already?" Darcy smirked wickedly, making Bucky frown. 

"No. I threw them out- you did something to them."

"No, you just thought I did something to them." Darcy backed out of the room slowly. "Psychological Warfare, Barnes. You earned it." 

\---

It had been over a month since one of his bad days, and he had been out in the field twice before. And both of those times, Darcy had been waiting up for him with a plate of pastries and hot chocolate. He knew it was childish, but he looked forward to sitting and talking with her. She had a way of knowing when to talk to fill the silence, and when he was feeling up to holding a proper conversation. Hell, recently he'd even thought about asking her out on a proper date. 

She wasn't in the kitchen. Not in the common room, not in her room. 

"FRIDAY- where's Lewis?" He asked the AI. 

"Miss Lewis is out on her date with Mister Clarke this evening. She left no indication of when she would be back." The woman's voice was soft and soothing, but Bucky still grit his teeth and clenched his fists. 

Still in his full combat gear, he stormed down to the gym to have a go at the punching bag. Or maybe five of them. 

On his way down, his phone rang in his pocket. Darcy had a habit of changing his ringtone- that week it was a character from the Mad Max movie she made him watch (which he had actually enjoyed) aggressively screaming "VALHALLAAAAA"

He saw the name 'the Queen of Awesome' flash across the screen and grimaced. He pressed talk and sighed. "What is it, Lewis? Having fun on your date-"

"Bucky I need help." Her voice was rushed, and a frantic whisper. 

Had she said 'I need help.' He would have told Steve. Had she said 'Barnes I need help.' He would have rolled his eyes and asked her what mundane task she was incapable of doing this time. But she didn't say those things. She called him Bucky. 

She never called him Bucky. 

"What's wrong- where are you?" He demanded. 

"I don't know. The guy wants intel-"

"FRIDAY find out where she is!" Bucky barked, sprinting down the hall and taking the stairs to the underground garage. "Lewis- stay on the line. Talk to me. What can you see?"

"Um, I- I'm in a truck I think. But it's like semi, not a UPS truck. Can't see shit- he stepped on my glasses. That motherfucker."

"Who's he?"

"Dunno. I- Uh, I was going out tonight. But the guy never showed. So I was about to go back in my place when I got jumped- taserless of all times."

Bucky picked out one of the motorcycles and pressed the start button. It roared to life beneath him, greeting him with a brightly lit panel where he placed his phone. 

"FRIDAY how's that location going?" 

The AI spat out an address of sorts, one of the highways leading out of town, on the way to Buffalo. 

"Lewis, I'm on my way."

"He asked about you. God I shouldn't have called you- that's what he wants."

"Lewis, calm down. I'm coming to get you and this'll all be over soon just stay on the line."

"Stay away Bucky, please." Darcy begged, her voice getting louder. "I don't want them to get you."

"Boss, I've alerted Captain America. He requests you stay where you are." FRIDAY spoke through his intercom. 

"Request denied. That goes for you too, Lewis." Bucky revved the engine before speeding off down the road. "If he comes back, hide your phone."

"I'm really scared."

His breath hitched in his throat- she wasn't scared during movies that even made him jump. She wasn't scared when she was helping Selvig secure a satellite on the roof of the facility during a thunder storm. She wasn't scared when she was almost mugged on the way home to her apartment. Darcy didn't get scared. 

"I'm gonna get you home. We can curl up on that couch of ours that you love, eat cookies and watch cartoons all night."

"I don't think I'm gonna make it that far if I don't start talking." Bucky could hear her gulp. "But I won't. I won't tell him how to find you- any of you."

He wasn't far from the location FRIDAY was giving him. He rejected a call from Steve before his friend forced his way onto the intercom. 

"Bucky- what's going on?"

"Someone took Lewis- I'm getting her back." He growled. 

"Do you want backup?"

"Nope."

"I'll be there with Romanov soon then."

"Bucky we've stopped- he's coming back in- what do I do?!" Darcy hissed. 

"Hide your phone, let me listen. I'm almost there." He willed the machine to go faster, weaving through the last remaining rush hour stragglers. 

"So, have we decided to talk?" A man's voice asked. It was deep, heavily accented. Hungarian, it sounded like. It was slightly muffled by the sound of an engine starting. 

"I can talk all night if you want. Won't tell you anything though." Darcy sounded nervous. "Hell I talk too much for my own good anyways."

"You are clever. Not clever enough to talk, it would seem." 

"Buddy, if I had my taser right now you wouldn't be talking as much as you are."

"Boss, the phone signal's coming from five clicks straight on."

"What's this- who are you talking to?"

"My mother. She wanted to know how my date went."

"'Comrade Roboto'. This is either the Iron Man or the Winter Soldier- who is listening?"

"Let her go and I won't kill you as slowly." Bucky growled. 

"Four clicks, boss."

"Ah, the Winter Soldier. You are one of the ones I am looking for. Tell me, do you care for this girl? Can you hear her?" There was silence, other than the sound of Darcy's panicked breathing. "How about now?"

Bucky saw red when he heard the loud smack and the responding whimper. "Don't you FUCKING touch her!"

"Then she should be telling me what I want to hear."

"Fuck off you prick." Another smack at her reply. "Bucky...don't be stupid."

"I have a very pretty knife here, Soldier. It's a shame you can't see it. It loves to kiss skin- and hers is so lovely."

"Two clicks."

"You wear that star on your shoulder- let us put one on hers first."

Strapped to his back was his sniper rifle. Bucky brandished the weapon once the truck was in sights. The traffic had all but faded, he could take out the truck easily. The hard part would be making sure Darcy survived the crash. 

"One click."

Driving up beside the truck, Bucky could hear Darcy's muffled scream echoed in his headset. Pulling up to the passenger's side, he launched off the bike and aimed at the driver, who was flailing around for a weapon. 

One shot, and he would be dead. 

"Bucky, on your left." Steve, on his own motorcycle, pulled up on the drivers side. Bucky shot off the drivers seat belt and kicked him out the door. Slamming his foot on the break, the truck screeched to a stop. 

Climbing through the skylight, Bucky stomped on the roof of the truck, hearing no sound from down below. He saw Natalia positioned at the rear doors, but shook his head. 

His left hand came down on the steel, tearing the panel's back. Down below, he saw Darcy's captor. A flash of fear in his eyes, and then satisfaction. "You are a magnificent thing, aren't you?"

"He's not a thing," Bucky heard Darcy say, before a small click sounded and a few thousand volts passed through her captor's body. "And you talk too much."

She stood over him, her white sundress red from her own blood and torn in places. Bucky jumped down, his feet hitting the floor hard. He checked the area for any other threats and then dropped his gun and ripped his mask off his face. 

Darcy still had the taser pointed at the man. Her hands were shaking and blood dripped from her left shoulder. Guilt consumed him as he saw the angry pentagram that wasn't dissimilar to his own. "Oh god, Darcy."

"I tased him." She muttered. "He wasn't looking, he was close enough so I could see it on his belt. And I tased him. With his own taser. It's a fucking character trait. And you broke the ceiling. What a mess we are."

"Holy shit Darcy." Bucky laughed humourlessly, shaking his head. He pulled a handkerchief from one of his pockets and gently took her arm in his hand to wrap it, then reached for the taser. "'Tash and Steve are outside. They'll take care of this guy. You're safe now."

Inhaling deeply, Darcy lowered the weapon, but didn't relinquish it. She was silent as Bucky opened the rear doors and helped her down the steps. She looked right at Natasha, who's responding gaze made Bucky believe they had a telepathic conversation that would result in the castration of a certain kidnapper. 

Steve pulled up on his motorcycle, taking a helmet out of the rear hatch. "We've got a team with the driver, they'll be here soon. What's the state of the captor?"

"Shocking." Darcy deadpanned. 

A grin broke out across Bucky's face and it took a great deal of willpower to force a scowl. 

"Get her somewhere safe- we'll deal with him." Steve instructed. Bucky could tell he wanted to get him away from the scene, lest something... unpleasant happen. 

"Do you want me to take you to your place?" Bucky asked Darcy; he could feel the tremors running through her already. 

"Can we go to yours? That couch sounds great right about now." She was looking up at him, squinting a bit. His thoughts flickered to her broken glasses as he nodded. 

"Mind if I borrow that?" He asked Steve, gesturing to the motorcycle. His friend dismounted, going to look inside the truck. He passed the helmet from the back to Darcy. 

"Treat it better than you did yours."

"You're one to talk." Bucky swung his leg over and helped Darcy fasten the helmet strap under her chin before she did the same. He thought a few ribs cracked under her vice-like grip, but he didn't mind. 

The ride felt quicker on their way back to the base. He didn't think Darcy moved the entire way. Once they were back in the garage, he could see her shaking like a leaf. 

Bucky scooped her up before getting in the elevator and requesting the residential floor. 

"Boss, should I alert the med ward?"

"No." Darcy said sternly. "It's okay. It's not that bad."

"Darcy, you should go get that checked out." Bucky told her in a hushed tone. She held onto his neck tighter and shook her head no. "Okay doll, I'll get you fixed up."

Once in the common room outside of his bedroom, Bucky took Darcy straight to the couch and sat her down before leaving to get the first aid kit and a bottle of vodka from the kitchenette. 

When he came back in, Darcy was staring out the window, cradling her arm. Bucky sat on the coffee table across from her, passing over the bottle before opening the white plastic box with a blue cross. 

"You sure you don't want someone else lookin' at this?" He carefully untied the handkerchief, which had a large red stain at it's centre. 

"What, and miss out on this view?" Darcy screwed the top off the bottle at took a deep swig. "See, that's funny 'cause I can't see shit."

Bucky didn't laugh. He was using an alcohol wipe to clean the area of the cut. "I'll just tidy things up. If I think it's bad, I'll bring the doc to you."

"Why didn't you listen to me?" Darcy Segway'd the conversation. "I told you not to come. Why'd you come after me?"

He grit his teeth and didn't answer, the star cut into her arm wasn't as deep as he'd thought- it might not even scar if she didn't fuss with it. 

"You're making your brooding face. I can't see it, but I can practically sense it." She said. "For fucks sakes you could have gotten hurt or worse, and all because of me! Why did you do it!"

"'Cause..." He muttered, peeling the back off of a large bandage. "You called me..."

"You were the last person in my directory, and there was no way in hell cops were gonna do any good." 

"No, you called me Bucky. So I knew you were in some deep shit." 

"You still didn't have to come. I'm not worth it- ow." 

Bucky flinched when she did, realizing he was starting to squeeze her arm with his left hand. 

"Sorry." He muttered. "Who says you're not worth it?"

It was Darcy's turn to be silent. 

"I wouldn'ta come if you weren't worth it Lewis. And I think even if i hadn't, you woulda found a way out. Cause you know just how to handle yourself."

"Well, you're still an idiot." She looked down at her ruined dress and shook her head. The long skirt was torn up to her knee, and the whole thing was reasonably stained. "I blame this. I am not meant to wear Maxi dresses, and when I find one that fits- boom. Abduction."

"Jesus Darcy." Bucky chuckled that time, taking the bottle of vodka from her hands and taking a swig. He raised an eyebrow at the look he was being given. "What?"

"That is the...third time you've called me Darcy. You don't do that- you never do."

"Well at least that doesn't send you into a murdering rampage when you hear it." Bucky chuckled, but Darcy just stared at him. "What? What is it?"

She shook her head and pulled him over to the couch where she scooted down and laid her head on his lap. "I know it's kind of good to have a secret 'I'm in danger' code name, but I think I'm gonna call you Bucky from now on. Only if you call me Darcy."

"Oh yeah?" He was hesitant to rest his metal arm on her shoulder, but let it fall anyway. "Why's that?"

"I like how it sounds coming from you." She yawned. "Got a problem with that /Bucky/?"

He chuckled and tilted his head back to rest on the rear of the couch. "Whatever you say, /Darcy/."


End file.
